Storms

We were jarred awake by a phone call at about 6am the other morning.  It was Arthur's boss calling to tell him to just stay put as a winter storm moved through the region.  I (Alex) will admit some jealous feelings towards my husband who would get to spend the day snuggled in our warm house watching it snow out the window while drinking something warm.  Instead I dragged myself out of bed slightly groggy from being awoken already that morning by Arthur's phone alarm at 4:30am so he could shovel the drive.  He got out of bed, looked out the window, and decided it wasn't worth it-- I told him that the night before.  Arthur checked the weather on the internet and stated, "I am not sure I trust the credibility and accuracy of this website.  It says it is 59F out."  A few moments later, "Oh, that's in Texas."

Before I headed out the door I snagged my snow boots, mittens, hat, scarf, etc (I'm including all these boring details so that our parents are reassured that we are properly prepared for weather) and waited for my co-worker to pick me up so we could carpool to work.  Arthur and I knew last year when we made the decision to each commute 30 miles in opposite directions we would not be a fan of bad weather.  However I am blessed with a co-worker at the clinic who lives in the same town and probably volunteered my first day on the job to carpool for bad weather days.  The interstate was snowpacked but taking it slow we made it just fine.  That morning at work I did see 4 patients, two being over the age of 80.  Excuse me while I get on my soap box for a short period of time.  Older people need to just cancel their physical therapy appointments if the weather is bad.  Walkers or canes are not good on ice and snow.  It is interesting that all the patients under 40 will call and cancel but we have elderly patients trudging in all day. 

As the day went on all my afternoon patients cancelled since the storm was getting worse so we headed home shortly after lunch.  Generally it isn't a good sign when you pull onto the interstate and there is a snowplow in the ditch.  The wind had picked up blowing the snow which decreased visibility.  There were even fewer cars out that afternoon.  Topping out at about 35mph we made it home safely only to get stuck at the end of our street.  I'm pretty sure our street is the last to be plowed in town, especially if school is cancelled. 

It was nice to have the afternoon to enjoy a good "snow day".  We both took naps and did some reading.  Then my wonderful husband made dinner and did all of the dishes.  He had been "volunteered" by me to do this when I walked out the door that morning since I was a little jealous that he was staying home.  That evening we watched another survival show on Netflix.  At breakfast we had been discussing how well we could survive if we were stranded in the snow.  I decided with the contents of my purse-- newspaper, chapstick, and a cell phone battery I could possibly start a fire.  I could also use the extra newspaper for added insulation in my coat if needed.  I'm glad I didn't have to pull out any of these skills and only used the chapstick for my cracking lips.  About 8:30 that night Arthur decided to go out and shovel the drive since the snow was letting up.  Since we only have one snow shovel and I know how much he loves clearing snow I opted to stay inside and plan our vacation for this spring.  (Arthur's editorial comment:  As a man it is my duty and responsibility to maintain my property.  I want everyone who passes by our house to look at our driveway and say, "Don't mess with that guy.  He is capable of withstanding freezing temperatures and physical exertion."  Even if passers-by have no sinister intentions it is a point of pride to care about the upkeep of my home.)  After making dinner and shoveling the drive he gets the "Husband of the Day Award" hands down.

The next morning we carefully headed to work again, once again with the appropriate clothing due to temperature readings of 0F and a wind chill.  Everything was pretty with a new layer of fresh snow as the sun was peeking over the horizon.  I was also introduced to a new natural phenomenon.  On each side of the sun were two bright patched that looked like the sun with what appeared to be rainbows shooting upwards.  I found out later that this is called a sun dog.  It is cause be light reflecting off of ice crystals in the atmosphere at very cold temperatures.  Check out the picture on wikipedia which is much better than my description.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_dog.  After storms, especially in the winter, I am always struck by the beauty of nature following the fury.  Whether it is everything washed clean by a good thunderstorm or a rainbow, ice that makes even ordinary trees sparkle like they are studded with diamonds, on the stark brightness of pure white snow covering the landscape.  Always look for beauty, even following life's storms.  Omni Vincit Amor.